cheap cd transport

[Professor smith]

i wanted to buy a cheap transport. It should be new so that the laser is in the best condition. But its tricky to know what to buy. I was thinking of a dvd player or a cheaper cd player with coaxial output, can anyone advise me?

[poynton]

Philips BluRay player available from Sainsburys.

Can't think of the model number but recently reviewed in HiFi World.

Plays just about any type of disc.

Around 130.00 gbp


Andy


.

[Professor smith]

it has to be low jitter and cheaper than that if possible. What about those cheap dvd or cd players you find in supermarkets?

[stephensank]

If you want low jitter, new and cheaper than 130gbp, I believe you are shopping for something that does not exist. No low end, and very few high end, dvd/bluray units have particularly low jitter, nor do any but the more expensive cd units. The only way you're going to get low jitter & cheap is to look for something used, but known to be reliable. A Pioneer PD7700 or other stable platter Pioneer can often go darn cheap & are low jitter & quite reliable(but for a couple of not too common but very easily fixed issues). Nothing else I can think of off hand will beat these for price versus jitter performance versus reliability.

[abraxalito]

Originally Posted by Professor smith

it has to be low jitter and cheaper than that if possible.

You want low jitter AND spdif ? They're pretty much incompatible - the spdif interface is inherently high jitter. You'll get low jitter by paying attention to the DAC receiver, not the DVD player.

What about those cheap dvd or cd players you find in supermarkets?

Yeah, I have several of those - cost me about $15. Want me to find out how much they'd cost to ship to UK? Have a look at the pics on my blog.

[sandyK]

You'll get low jitter by paying attention to the DAC receiver, not the DVD player.-abraxalito

Really ? Then there are a lot of Mod shops ripping people off with chassis dampening, isolation mats etc. Even replacing the typical BR diodes in the SMPS with faster types such as the BYV26C can make a noticeable improvement to both audio and video, even via HDMI.
SPDIF may have relatively high Jitter, but Transports can be markedly improved.
SACD/CD players such as the relatively expensive Marantz SA11 make fine transports due to a heavy honeycomb chassis etc.

SandyK

[abraxalito]

Originally Posted by sandyK

Really ? Then there are a lot of Mod shops ripping people off with chassis dampening, isolation mats etc.

You said it, not I.

Even replacing the typical BR diodes in the SMPS with faster types such as the BYV26C can make a noticeable improvement to both audio and video, even via HDMI.

Yes, these may have an effect by reducing the common mode RF output over the spdif interface. Not the same thing as jitter though.

SPDIF may have relatively high Jitter, but Transports can be markedly improved.

In terms of CM RF, I agree yeah. But I stand by my previous remarks - if you really want low jitter you're pretty much wasting your time just by attacking it at the transport end. At the receiver is where it really counts.

[sandyK]

Originally Posted by abraxalito

You said it, not I.



Yes, these may have an effect by reducing the common mode RF output over the spdif interface. Not the same thing as jitter though.



In terms of CM RF, I agree yeah. But I stand by my previous remarks - if you really want low jitter you're pretty much wasting your time just by attacking it at the transport end. At the receiver is where it really counts.

Agreed, but it all adds up.

Stereophile: CD: Jitter, Errors & Magic

An extract from the article.

ReferenceCD: Jitter, Errors & Magic:
Page 3

.......The second prevalent misconception about the CD is that if the ones and zeros are the same,
the sound must be identical. This tenet is widely held, especially among engineers and computer users.
A cornerstone of digital audio theory is that sound quality is independent of the recording or transmission medium.
The collective attitude among many engineers is succinctly expressed by the phrase "bits is bits." (footnote 4).
This adage expresses the idea that if the ones and zeros in a digital audio signal are identical,
no other digital-domain phenomenon (in a properly designed digital audio system) can influence sound quality.
This attitude explicitly rules out sonic differences between CD transports, optical vs coaxial cable,
CD Soundrings, CD Stoplight, isolation feet, Armor All (footnote 5),
and any other CD tweaks that incontrovertibly influence sound quality to sensitive listeners.

Those who subscribe to this theory tend to be scornful and contemptuous of anyone believing such differences exist.......

[abraxalito]

The key phrase is this one:

Originally Posted by sandyK

This adage expresses the idea that if the ones and zeros in a digital audio signal are identical, no other digital-domain phenomenon (in a properly designed digital audio system) can influence sound quality.

All real-world systems are to some degree improperly executed, which is the reason these digital tweaks work.

[sandyK]

Originally Posted by abraxalito

The key phrase is this one:



All real-world systems are to some degree improperly executed, which is the reason these digital tweaks work.

Richard
Agreed.Many engineers would never concede that.
Regards
Alex